RE: Tilted embouchure~~and "upside down" embouchure

["Laughton, Bob" <LaughtonB@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Wednesday, May 12, 2004 5:32 AM, kcmojoe wrote:

> I wonder if playing the harp with the numbers down is better?

I'm sure others will correct me if I'm wrong, but many or even most of the Chicago players played 'numbers down' - I believe this was the 'industry standard' then. My own harp master at the time, Stu Ramsay, played this way, and I have always believed that it was commonplace back then. I had already started learning 'numbers up' and didn't feel like relearning the patterns.

> This is a serious query.....anyone? I haven't had time to
> relearn things, but I honestly think it sounds different. 

My guess is that if you are a right-handed person, having the low notes on the right may have some effect on the sound as you are holding and cupping the harp. A (sorry, somewhat weak) analogy that comes to mind is the lefty guitarist (like Hendrix or Albert King) that flips over a standard axe and now gets the high string bends by squeezing the hand, rather than extending the fingers - a physical advantage.

Bob Laughton